No TV, no phones, no smoking and other behaviors to sacrifice for better sleep.
Welcome to the fifth car on the overnight sleep train. In this installment we're going to get into some of the activities you should leave on the platform before we leave the station. If you've worked on the previous challenges, that train always runs on time and the sleeping car is cool, dark and quiet as it rocks you to sleep. And as always, this newsletter includes sleep trivia, alternative ideas and more. Aaaaaaaaaaaalllll aboard! |
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We've already started a list of the Dos and Don'ts of Dozing in previous lessons. You know to avoid your bedroom being too warm. You know to turn off gadgets that emit light and noise. And you have something of a checklist every night with your sleep-enhancing routine -- which by now should be becoming a habit. But there is further research-based evidence about additional behaviors to avoid. The challenge this time is cut out as many of the following eight behaviors as you can (if you're even doing them in the first place): - Don't watch television or work in your bedroom. You want your brain to think of the room as only for sleep (and sex).
- Shut off the news and don't check social media on your smartphone before bed or if you wake during the night. It's not just that you want to avoid brain-stimulating blue light, you also want to avoid emotionally stimulating news or drama on Facebook.
- Sorry, smokers, nicotine is also a stimulant. Smokers are four times more likely to say they feel tired when they wake up than nonsmokers, according to one study. Consider it yet another reason to kick the habit.
- Regular exercise does help with sleep, but you may want to avoid it in the couple of hours before you head off to dreamland. While studies haven't proven that exercise just before bed will harm sleep, many experts -- like the World Sleep Society -- recommend avoiding it. Why? Because moderate exercise heats up your core temperature, signaling the body that it's time to be awake. And all those lovely feel-good endorphins that exercise provides is thought to keep some of us alert.
- If you like to read to fall asleep, don't do screens. Try books or long-form magazines. If you love your electronic reader device, look for models without backlights or the ability to turn that function off.
- Stop hitting the snooze button! As morning approaches, your body is naturally nearing the end of its last rapid eye movement, or "dream" cycle. Hit that snooze button, and your brain falls right back into a new dream cycle, experts say, so when you do wake up you'll be groggy.
- Don't just lie there if you're all keyed up. Try deep breathing or other mindfulness exercises to unwind. Mantras help some people, as does prayer, or try list-making or visualizations and progressive muscle relaxation. Counting sheep is classic.
- Finally, if you just can't sleep, don't force it. It's the worst mistake you can make, experts say. After trying for, say, 20 minutes, get up, go do something relaxing until you get tired, and come back to bed then. Tossing and turning in bed is a recipe for anxiety, which will further inhibit your sleep.
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A "hypnic jerk" is that thing where you've just fallen asleep and a sudden muscle twerk jerks you back to consciousness. Called "myoclonus," the jerks are involuntary muscle movements in the same family as hiccups. They can be so slight you don't feel much more than a twitch, or so intense that you feel as if you are falling in a dream. did you know? Sleeping straight through the entire night didn't take hold in the Western world until a few hundred years ago, according to research by historian A. Roger Ekirch. The practice evolved thanks to the rise of the Industrial Revolution and the spread of electric lighting. healthy hint A good night's sleep can increase your sex drive and the likelihood of having sex. In one study among college students published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, every extra hour of sleep they got, their chance of having sex the next day increased by 14%. |
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"I haven't slept for 10 days, because that would be too long." |
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It's not cheap, but a company called Rocking Bed has manufactured a frame that gently moves your bed back and forth while you sleep. Patent is pending. The company's tagline is "Sleep like a baby again!" |
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Jamie Ueda/CNN Underscored |
Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, created a pillow guide for side sleepers to keep your shoulder, neck and head in a comfortable position for a good night's rest. |
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Until part VI, grab a butterfly net and catch those beautiful Zzzzzzzzzzzzs. |
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